Ford launches Drive to Fitness campaign

There are days when being a Motoring Journalist has some perks, like driving a big fancy car or being sent off to a hot country because a new car has come on the market but today was different.
Ford brought some invited guests along to the wonderful Cooks Academy to talk about driver health. This is a subject that’s close to my heart, I am always driving somewhere and I seem to be spending more and more time in a car every day.
People who do their work behind the wheel everyday may feel like they get enough exercise by being stuck in traffic or by stretching your legs at the local Applegreen but, if you don’t eat the right balance of foods or worse still you pick up some brown food and a can of something fizzy you could be putting yourself at huge risk of a heart attack.
It’s for this reason that we were invited along today, I have to say it was great to watch a professional Chef such as Sheona Foley make five dishes in about 20 minutes, all of them healthy but very tasty options. I might even try my hand at making the Chargrilled Lime Chicken.
In putting together the Drive to Fitness, Ford have done a large survey and the results should be taken seriously.
A whopping 66% of drivers would prefer to have a healthier diet and lifestyle in general.

Nearly 70% of drivers would like to see more roadside rest stops offering healthier options; me included.

74% said that they were overweight but 57% believed themselves to be healthy.
Here’s the big one;

92% of employers do not promote a healthy lifestyle programme or provide any kind of medical screening for company drivers.
Here’s some advice from me for you people who nearly live in your vehicle:

Take breaks, fatigue accounts for a lot of accidents. Pull over and stretch your legs, just get out of the car.

Have a bottle of water in the car with you always, stop drinking so much tea and coffee. Water will hydrate you, coffee has the opposite effect.

What you eat plays a huge part in your mood, if you eat lots of sweet things, or things with hidden sugars in them you’ll get high and then crash. Try having the healthy options and save the treats for later.

Don’t be in a hurry everywhere, stress plays a part in all parts of health. Slow down, turn the cruise control on, you’ll get there when you get there. You might just loose your license, I hope you don’t loose your life.